Akeno Himejima

Akeno Himejima is a third-year student at Kuoh Academy and one of the many female protagonists of High School DxD. She is the Vice-President of the Occult Research Club and is Rias Gremory's Queen. Like Rias, Akeno is also one of Kuoh Academy's Two Great Ladies.

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Akeno is the only child of Shuri Himejima, a well-known Shinto priestess and Baraqiel, a Fallen Angel and one of the leaders of the Fallen Angel organization, Grigori. As a child, Akeno was close to her mother, and fell into despair when she witnessed her mother's death, blaming her father for not being able to protect her mother. After the death of her mother, she stayed with her mother's relative before being kicked out due to her Fallen Angel blood.

At the tender age of 10, without food or money, Akeno journeyed throughout Japan using her skills to purify evil spirits that she learned from her mother in order to survive, doing so for one and a half years. When she stumbled into a certain town, Akeno indirectly saved a human that was contracted with a Devil from the Gremory Clan. Fearing that the Devil would kill her due to her Fallen Angel heritage, Akeno decided to hide from them. Later, while trying to leave the town, Akeno was suddenly attacked by her relatives from the Himejima Clan who came to kill her. Before her Grand-uncle could land the decisive blow, Rias and her father's Bishop, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, appeared and talked Akeno's family out of killing her with two conditions, first Akeno is to never enter the territory under the Himejima Clan and second, to always stay beside Rias and serve under her using the Gremory name and not the Himejima name. She then moved into the Gremory Palace where she was taught various things from studies to how a lady should act as well as deepening her bonds with Rias, becoming her best friend in the process.

Upon entering Junior High, Rias received her Evil Pieces and made Akeno her first servant. She later entered Kuoh Academy alongside Rias and helped her in re-establishing the Occult Research Club becoming its Vice-President.

Akeno introduced herself to Issei who just came to the Occult Research Club. She later assisted Rias in facing the Fallen Angels Dohnaseek, Kalawarner, and Mittelt, which they won after terminating the three.

Later she helps her master Rias in her Rating Game against her then fiancé, Riser Phenex, eliminating four members of Riser's peerage before facing Riser's Queen, Yubelluna, which she lost after the latter used the Phoenix Tears. She is later seen in Rias' engagement party, and helped Issei in his attempt to rescue Rias by knocking out the guards who were attempting to stop him.

Akeno was in charge of scattering Issei's Dragon power, where she attempted to seduce Issei until Rias enters at the time, angrily scolding them. When Kokabiel declared that he would attack Kuoh Academy, Akeno called for the Satan, Sirzechs Lucifer's help, talking back to Rias when she condemned Akeno for calling her brother, telling Rias that she understands Rias not wanting to bring her brother into this after the family problem but tells her that Kokabiel attacking is not a problem that should be taken lightly. During the battle against Kokabiel, she and Rias terminate all the Cerberus that Kokabiel took with him from the Underworld. She and the rest of the Gremory Team then fought against Kokabiel but were easily overwhelmed by the latter until the interference of Vali Lucifer who came to take Kokabiel back with him under Azazel's orders.

When Issei goes to the shrine Akeno lives to retrieve the Ascalon from the Archangel Michael. After Michael left, Akeno reveals her identity as a Fallen Angel/Human hybrid to Issei, telling Issei she has dirty wings, hoping to be hated but ended up falling in love with Issei instead after the latter says that he hates Fallen Angels but likes Akeno. He tells her that he never disliked the gentle side of her and knowing her past does not change his feelings. During the peace talk between the leaders of the Three Factions, Akeno was stopped by Gasper's time-stopping powers and was unable to help. When Azazel became the advisor for the Occult Research Club, he asked if Akeno still hates Baraqiel, which Akeno replies by saying she has no intention of forgiving him, as it was his fault that her mother died. She later moves into the Hyoudou Residence under Sirzechs' suggestion.

Later she, along with the other members of the Occult Research Club, accompanied Rias to the Underworld for the Young Devils Gathering. When Azazel plans out the training menu for the Gremory Team, he tells Akeno that she needs to accept the blood in her. While initially refusing to use her Holy Lightning powers, she eventually starts to use her Holy Lightning powers in the Rating Game between Rias and Sona Sitri after Issei's persuasion, telling her to become strong. Through her new powers, Akeno easily defeats Sona's Bishop, Reya Kusaka, before changing her target to Sona's Queen, Tsubaki Shinra, forcing Tsubaki to retreat.

After Rias and Diodora Astaroth's supposed Rating Game was interrupted by the Khaos Brigade and Diodora who is in cahoots with them. While on their way to rescue Asia, Issei (under Koneko's suggestion) asks Akeno out on a date if she manages to defeat Diodora's peerage, much to Rias' dismay. During their attempt to rescue Issei from the Juggernaut Drive, Akeno asked Rias to use her breasts to snap Issei out of the Juggernaut Drive while sadly claiming that she is not suited for the task.

Akeno goes on a date with Issei, which ends with both of them meeting Odin, Rossweisse, and Baraqiel, Akeno's father, who was serving as Odin's bodyguard at the time. At first, she refused to accept Baraqiel and denied their relationship, telling Baraqiel that he is not her father. However during the final fight against Loki, Akeno, while under the effects of Issei's Bilingual, admitted that she loves her father but blames him because if she doesn't blame someone, she will mentally lose herself. After the battle, she finally made amends with her father and her love for Issei deepens, kissing him on the lips for the first time.

She faces Kuisha Abaddon, Sairaorg's Queen, during the Rating Game between Rias and Sairaorg but was defeated by Kuisha handing the Gremory Team their first loss in the match. She and the rest of the Occult Research Club members are later seen peeping at Issei who confessed his love to Rias, congratulating them while Akeno claims that she can become serious at having an affair with Issei.

Akeno, Issei and Yuuto go to the Glasya-Labolas territory to take a promotion test to become Middle-Class Devils. While she, Issei and Yuuto are resting after the test, the are suddenly attacked by Cao Cao and Georg who came to steal Ophis' powers. The battle ended with both the Gremory and Vali Teams losing to the two of them and Ophis' powers being stolen. At the end of Volume 11, while waiting for Issei to return from the crumbling dimension, Akeno, like the rest of the Occult Research Club, was surprised that only Issei's Evil Pieces returned and was shocked to find out that Issei had died.

After Issei's "death" she sat at the Gremory Palace with no emotion until her father came to cheer her up. She, along with Rias and the others, later goes to the human world to meet the creator of the Evil Pieces, Ajuka Beelzebub, to have him check on Issei's Evil Pieces, which was interrupted by the appearance of the Khaos Brigade. During the fight against Siegfried, Akeno, like the rest of the girls of the Gremory Team, was unable to display her usual strength until Issei's Evil Pieces react and conveys Issei's feelings from the Dimensional Gap, allowing Akeno to regain her determination to fight. She then reveals a bracelet given to her by her father and Azazel that strengthens her Holy Lightning, giving her six black wings. She later assisted Xenovia and Irina to fight against Jeanne and nearly won until Jeanne takes a child as a hostage. Like Issei and Yuuto, Akeno is officially promoted into a Middle-Class Devil.

She meets the Director of the Magician Council, Mephisto Pheles, regarding the pact between the Occult Research Club and Magicians. She also helped Rias in mastering her new finishing attack. After the Khaos Brigade kidnapped the first-year students of the Occult Research Club, Akeno, along with the other members of the Occult Research Club and the Student Council then go to battle the Stray Magicians and Magicians of Khaos Brigade, easily defeating them. During the battle, Akeno revealed her new move, Raikōryū, which allows her to transform her Holy Lightning into the shape of an Asian Dragon. She later meets the person in charge of the incident, Euclid Lucifuge, who then summons Grendel to battle Issei.